QuestionQUESTION: Hi, Mike. I have a 1987 Honda Civic hatchback (1300). Last summer the turn signal/light switch arm broke off at the base. After many attempts to find a turn signal/light and wiper assembly, I consulted an online Honda expert to see if there’s an alternative, such as installing a switch on the instrument panel and rerouting the light to it, and using a universal arm for the turn signal. In the end, I opted for the Crazy Glue solution (the original break was clean), which worked for a time, but as others have driven the car and forgotten to use a light touch on the signal arm, I’ve had to make this repair a few times. It’s losing effectiveness, and I still can’t find the part (and I’m willing to buy the full steering column, if one is available). Is there a compatible model/unit out there? I've been given to understand that Honda didn't expect these cars to last so long, hence the unavailability of the part. This car, though old in years, actually has under 70K on it (that's a real number. The original owner drove rarely, short distances only) It would truly be a shame for the car to be nonfunctional simply because of a piece of plastic. Any information/advice would be appreciated.
Thanks!
ANSWER: This is a tough one. You're right, Honda will be of no help at all, they sold all of these switches that were made. A lot of problems with older Japanese cars on parts like these. The engineers really didn't take into account the rough way that bigger, heavier, stronger Americans would use their cars. You could try re-engineering the part by inserting a piece of metal into the stem and re-routing the wires for the wiper switch. You could also remove the wiper switch and mount it elsewhere, then replace the arm of the turn signal switch with a piece of metal. I've done things like this to keep old cars going in the past. It might be worthwhile searching wrecking yards for an intact switch. If you can find an old switch that is still in one piece, wrap the stem with a couple of turns of fiberglass and epoxy to reinforce it. This might even make a longer term solution for the existing switch. And keep those ham-handed other drivers out of the driver's seat. Every mechanic has had an old car or other piece of machinery which he has adapted himself to that, when lent to others, was badly damaged by a lack of mechanical understanding.
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QUESTION: Thanks, Mike! Do you think that rerouting the light switch and using a universal for the turn signal is a viable option? The light switch lives on the turn signal arm, so a break like this one causes a twofold problem. And judging by the terrible time I'm having finding this part, there must be lots of broken light/signal arms out in the world. (The problem with these aging cars is that even if the engine is younger than its years, the car still sits through cold and hot weather, and a lot of the car's interior is essentially cheap plastic that dries out, splits, snaps, etc). I appreciate your help!
Answer You'd probably be better off using a universal headlight switch and keeping the existing turn signal switch. If the brake lights and the turn signals don't use the same bulb (you'd have to back there and check while somebody operated them both), then you could probably get away with the universal turn signal switch. American cars don't work that way, but a lot of imports do. You can get a universal turn signal switch at any truck parts place. A universal headlight switch can be ordered from any parts store, just make them look under headlight switches in the illustrated guide(it will give schematics so that you can pick the right one). Have you consulted any Honda repair specialists? There may be a known fix for this problem that they use. It's worth a phone call, every town has a Honda specialist. Talk to the owner if he's a mechanic, the head mechanic if he's not. If they think they can take care of it, it would probably be worth paying them to do the work.
